Q2 saw global equities fall by over 5% in sterling terms. Concerns surrounding Greece’s debt repayments and the future of the Eurozone weighed on world markets, particularly towards the end of the quarter.

It has been a very good quarter for investors, despite the downside risks. Global equities were given a huge boost in January as the ECB announced its significant quantitative easing (QE) program which began in March. This helped the FTSE World Index gain over 5% in Q1.

VCTs and EIS will no longer be able to invest in a company that is more than 12 years old, except where the investment will lead to a substantial change in the company's activity, or where where the total investment represents more than 50 per cent of turnover averaged over the preceding five years.